Machine for driving spokes.



\ L. S. GARMAN.

' MACHINE FOR DRIVING SPOKES.

APPLICATION TILED 0OT.16, 1911. 7 1,043,586. Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

, a SHEETS-SHEET 1. 1/4

attozmq COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co L. s. GARMAN. MACHINE FOR DRIVING SPOKES.

1,043,586. APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 16, 1911. 5

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co, WASHINGTON. D. c.

LEVI S. GAR-MAN, F OXFORD, NORTH CAROLINA.

MACHINE FOR DRIVING SPOKES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed October 16, 1.911. Serial No. 654,914.

I which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for driving spokes,and its object is to provide a machine for driving wheel spokes into thewheel hubs, whereby the operation may be very expeditiously performed,and the spokes may be driven more firmly than is usually accomplished byhand driving.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a support fora wheel hub which support may be suitably adjusted to accommodate hubsof different diameters and lengths and there is also provided a drivingmember adapted to deliver a succession of blows to the end of a placedstandard 1 is closed in on all sldes by suitspoke, the hub support andhammer or driving means being related to accommodate spokes of differentlengths and to drive the spokes whether the wheel be of the dished typeor not. The whole structure is a unitary structure with the moving partsmounted upon a frame and provided with appropriate adjustments, whilethe whole structure is so arranged that it may be readily controlled bya single operator.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with theunderstanding, however, that while the drawings show a practicalembodiment of the invention the latter is susceptible of other practicalembodiments varying in details of construction from the showing of thedrawings and, therefore, the invention is not confined to any strictconformity with the parts illus trated, but may be changed or modifiedso long as the salient features of the invention are retained.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is an elevation of the machine as viewed fromthe I standpoint of the operator. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of themachine as "viewed from the right hand side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asection on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section in aplane cutting the longitudinal axis of the driving shaft, with parts inelevation and including the hammer or driving end only of the machine,the parts being drawn on a larger scale than in the preceding figures.Fig. 5 is a cross section of the structure shown in Fig. 4 in aplanecutting the longitudinal axis of the driving shaft, some parts beingshown in elevation. Fig. 6 is an elevation with some parts in section ofthe structure shown in Fig. 4 as viewed from the right hand side of saidfigure. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is asection in a plane similar to Fig. 4 but including the hub support- 3ing portion of the structure to the exclusion of the parts shown in Fig.4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a frame 1 in the form of acolumn or standaid of hollow construction mounted upon a base 2 ofsubstantially tripod form, and also of hollow construction with anintermediate extension 3 designed to receive certain mechanism to bereferred to.

The main portion of the column or able walls, and this column orstandard may be in the main of rectangular cross section, as bestindicated in Fig. 3. At the upper fend the front and rear walls of thecolumn are omitted for an appropriate distance for the passage andguiding of certain mechanism, while what may be termed the front of thecolumn, because toward the operator, on opposite sides of the omittedportion is provided" with undercut guide plates or strips 4 designed toengage in corresponding undercut grooves 5 in the hollow block 6, whichlatter has its front wall omitted and is pro- ,vided with guide plates 7on opposite sides of the omitted portion in overriding relation to formguides for an elongated slide 8 in the form of a block of appropriateshape having on one side an offset tubular member 9 extending lengthwiseof the block 8, and at the. ends closed by screw plugs 10 each with apassage therethrough constituting a bearing for a rod 11. This rod hasat an intermediate point between the plugs 10 a collar 12 either formedon or made fast to the rod, and between this collar and thecorresponding plugs 10 there are provided two springs 13, 14,respectively, each abut ting against a washer 15 interposed between thecorresponding end of the spring and the plug 10. The rod 11 extends,when in operation, in a substantially vertical direction with the upperend passing through the upper plug 10 for an appropriate distance topermit reciprocation of the rod, while the lower end of the rod extendsthrough the lower plug 10 for an appropriate distance and is socketed toreceive the stem 16 of a hammer head or block 17, a thumb or set screw18 engaging the stem 16 to hold the head 17 in place but permitting theready removal of the latter at will.

The slide 8 is formed at an intermediate point with a boss orenlargement 19 extending through the outer open end of the hollow block6 to the interior thereof and terminating in close relation to a boss 20extending forwardly from the rear inner wall of the block 6 toward theboss 19. The block 6 has on what may be termed the rear face anextension 21 of a length to pass through the rear open portion of theupper end of the standard 1, and this extension 21, together with theboss 20, constitutes a bearing for a shaft 22, the latter having a head23 counter-sunk into the boss 20 flush with the outer surface thereofand carrying an eccentrically disposed wrist pin 24 engaging in anappropriate passage in a block 25 mounted in an elongated recess 26 inthe boss 19, the structure being such that on the rotation of the shaft20 the wrist pin will reciprocate the slide 25 and transmit the rotarymotion of the pin 24 into a reciprocatory motion on the slide 8. Theextension 21 is formed with an internal chamber 26 rendered accessibleby a suitable passage 27 through the upper wall thereof, and thischamber is traversed by the shaft 22 and constitutes a receptacle forlubricant, whereby the shaft 22 is appropriately lubricated where ittraverses the bearings in the extension 21 and boss 20.

The shaft 22 is of a length to project for a considerable distancebeyond the rear end of the extension 21 and is held against longitudinalmovement in its bearings by a hub 28 formed on a bevel friction wheel 29carried by the shaft 22 and held thereto by a set screw 30. The frictionwheel has seated in its bevel surface a ring 31 of appropriate frictionmaterial, such, for instance, as leather or vulcanized fiber or wood orthe like.

Mounted on the shaft 22 to the rear of the friction wheel 29 is a pulley32 with an interior tapered recess 33 in one face designed to engage thetaper friction member 31 when the pulley 32 is moved in the direction ofthe longitudinal axis of the shaft 22, the said pulley being providedwith a hub 34 mounted on the shaft 22 in a manner to permit the movementof the pulley lengthwise of the shaft. The pulley is provided with abelt engaging face 35 designed to receive a power belt 36 coming fromany suitable source of power, and when the machine is in operation thepulley 32 is constantly driven.

That portion of the hub 34 of the pulley 32 remote from the frictionwheel 29 is reduced in diameter, as indicated at 37, and to this reducedportion there is applied a plate 38 held to the hub by screws 39 orotherwise so that the reduced portion of the hub and the plate 38 coactto provide an annular groove, in which there is mounted a ring 40 havinga radial offset or arm 41 at one side which at the end carries a pin 42having mounted thereon one end of an arm 43, the other end of whichcarries a roller 44 designed to bear against one run of the belt 36 andthereby act as a belt tightener through the action of gravity. Movementof the pulley 32 away from the friction wheel 29 is limited by a setcollar 38 on the shaft 22.

Opposite sides of the ring 40 are entered by pins 45 mounted in therespective arms of a yoke 46, which in turn is carried by a rod 47 inturn passing through an elongated guide 48 mounted on one end of a shaft49 having journal bearings in a bracket 50 made fast to a correspondingportion of the column 1. The other end of the shaft 49 has fast theretoa collar 51 having an extension 52, see Figs. 1 and 2, which extensioncarries an eye 53 pivoted thereto, and this eye is traversed by a rod 54which where traversing the eye is threaded, as indicated at 55, toreceive nuts on opposite sides of the eye for adjustment. The rod 54 isextended to near the base of the column where it is connected by a pivotpin 57 to a foot lever 58 at a point between the ends of the latter, andthe said foot lever is mounted on a pivot 59 projecting from the column1 close to the base thereof. This foot lever is provided with a treadleportion 60 within convenient reach of the foot of an operator, so thatthe operator by pressing the treadle will rock the shaft 49 because ofthe extension or arm 52. The rocking of the shaft will be participatedin by the rod 47 in a direction to move the inner friction wall of thepulley 32 into engagement with the friction ring 31, whereby therotative move ment of the pulley 32 will then be imparted to the shaft22 and by the wrist pin 24 this motion will impart reciprocatory motionto the slide 8. Such reciprocatory motion will be participated in by therod 11 and hammer head 17, the springs 13 and 14, which normally act asequalizing springs, com-- pressing and expanding to cause the deliveryof a sharp, though elastic blow by the hammer 17 to parts to bedescribed.

The block 6 has fast to one side a gear rack 61 with which there is in.mesh a pinion 62 on one end of the hub 63 of a hand wheel 64 mounted ona pin 65 carried. by an appropriate portion of the upper end of thecolumn 1. The outer end of the pin 65 is threaded, as indicated at 66,and there receives a nut 67 provided with a manipulating pin 68substantially radial to the nut for the ready tightening and looseningof the nut to bind the hub of the hand wheel 64 against movement whensuch is desired. lVhen the nut 67 is loosened the hand wheel may bemanipulated to cause the pinion 62 to move the rack 61 and with it theblock 6 up or down along the column 1 and when the desired position hasbeen reached the parts may be locked in such position by tightening thenut 67 to clamp the hand wheel in place.

To counter-balance the weight of the block 6 and the parts carriedthereby there is provided a flexible strand 69 shown as a chain, andthis strand. is connected at one end to the block 6 and from thence iscarried up and around a pulley 70 mounted on a bracket 71 on a top plate72 made fast to the upper end of the column 1, and from thence the chainpasses down through the interior of the column and at its lower endcarries a weight 73 housed within the column 1 and capable of movinglengthwise thereof.

It is to be observed that the rod 47 is capable of longitudinal movementthrough the guide 48, so that adjustment of the block 6 in the mannerdescribed is permitted without interference of the connection betweenthe shaft 49 and the rod 47.

Mounted on the base extension 3 is a slide plate 74 held to the base byoverhanging guide strips 75 on opposite sides of the plate 74, suchplate constituting the foot member of a standard 76 rising therefrom insubstantially parallel relation to the corresponding face, this beingthe front face of the column 1. The slide plate 74 has at the end remotefrom the standard 76 an ear 77 formed thereon, which ear is threaded forthe passage of a screw rod 78 extending through a supporting plate 79made fast to the outer end of the base extension 3 and beyond thesupport 79 the screw rod carries a manipulating hand wheel 80. The rod78 is free to turn in the support 79 but is prevented from moving in thedirection of the length of the rod through the support by the hand wheel80 on one side of the support and a collar 81 fixed to the rod on theother side of the support. By this means a proper manipulation of thehand wheel 80 will move the plate 74 and standard 76 toward and from thecolumn 1 to any extent desired.

Made fast to the face of the column 1 presented toward the standard 76is a sup porting frame 82 of about the same height as the standard 76and for lightness made of skeleton type, being held to the column 1 bybolts 83 or otherwise. At that end of the standard 76 constituting theupper end thereof when in operative position there is applied asupporting plate 84 recessed at what constitutes the-upper end, asindicated at 85 to receive and support one end of a wheel hub indicatedat 86. The upper end of the frame 82 is also provided with a supportingplate 87 like the supporting plate 85 and provided with a recess 88designed to receive and support the end of the hub remote from thatsupported in the recess 85, thetwo plates 84 and 87 being appropriatelyshaped for the purpose. The upper end of the standard 76 has also formedthereon an oifset member 89 appropriately threaded for the passage of ascrew rod 90 provided at the end toward the supporting plate 84 with abearing head 91 in the form of a plate swiveled to the corresponding endof the rod 90. The other end of the rod. 90 is provided with a crank 92for the ready turning of the rod, although the crankmay be replaced byany suitable manipulating means.

In line with the rod 90 and carried by an appropriate portion of thecolumn 1 there is a screw pin 93 entering a suitably,

threaded passage in the column 1, while the end of this pin remote fromthe column carries a swivel plate 94 like the plate 91, while thatportion of the pin adjacent the plate 94 may-be squared, as indicated at95, for the application of a tool, whereby the pin may be screwed intoand out of the column 1 to the desired extent. The plate 94 is of a sizeto enter the usual sleeve at one end of a hub, while the plate 91 may beof a size to engage the other end of the hub to clamp a hub firmly whileresting upon the supports 84 and 87.

The standard 76 has attached thereto an arm 96 and the frame 82 hasattached thereto a like arm 97, the two arms each having at the upper orfree end an eye 98 traversed by a pin 99 carrying a spring 100 confinedbetween the respective eye and a traversing pin 101 with an interposedwasher 102, the pin 99 being substantially upright when in operativeposition, and at the upper end above the eye 98 being formed into a yoke103 in which is pivoted one end of a corresponding latch lever 104.These levers are of a length to override the portions of the hub seatedin the respective recesses 85 and 88, and the levers may be notched orrecessed, as indicated at 105 to partially embrace the portion of thehub engaged there by. That end of the lever remote from the pivotsupport 103 is formed into a handle member 106 and adjacent said handlemem her the lever carries a tooth 107 designed to engage any one of aseries of ratchet teeth 108 on the corresponding end of a bracket 109made fast to the standard 76 or the frame 82, as the case may be.

At a point between the hammer head 17 and the hub supporting means thereis made fastto the column 1 an angle bracket 109 having a branch 110outstanding from the column 1, and to this outstanding portion 110 thereis secured an angle member 111 bybolts 112, while the bracket 109 issecured to the column by bolts 113, the arrangement being such that thebracket 109 may be adjusted up and down the column 1 and the angleextension 111 may be adjusted along the branch 110 toward and from thecolumn 1. The angle member 111 has an arm 114 extending toward the hubsupport in substantial parallelism with the column 1, and the bracket109 and member 111 constitute an inverted U-shaped gage with thedownturned arm 114 parallel with a continuation of the longitudinal axisof the rod or plunger 11 and in spaced relation to the column.

With a machine as described the parts are necessarily adjusted toconform to the size of the wheel to be assembled. The hub is mounted inthe recesses 85 and 88 and clamped therein by the levers 104, but not sotightly as to prevent the turning of the hub as desired, and,furthermore, the hub is also clamped and centered by a suitablemanipulation of the crank 92, bringing the plates 91 and 94 into contactwith the respective ends of the hubs but not so tightly as to preventthe turning of the hub. Moreover, the hammer supporting means isadjusted to conform to the size of the hub and the length of the spoke,and the machine is then ready for use. An operator takes a spoke, suchas indicated at 115, and having dipped the tenon end of the spoke inglue, inserts it in a suitable sprocket or mortise of the hub, and thenthe spoke is brought into position with relation to the downturned arm114 of the angle member 111 of the gage, so that the hub and thedownturned arm may be grasped at one time by onehand of the operatorthus enabling the operator to securely hold the spoke in operativeposition without liability of displacement during subsequent operation.The position of the parts is such that this will center the outer end ofthe spoke in line with the hammer head 17 when the operator by pressingupon the treadle 6O rocks the lever 58 in such manner as to move thefriction clutch member or pulley 32 into engagement with the frictionclutch memberor wheel 29, so as to couple the shaft 22 to the power whenthe rotation of the shaft will impart a rapid reciprocatory movement tothe rod 11 and the hammer 17 carried thereby. There results a rapidsuccession of blows on the outer end of the spoke 115, which end isuppermost, and the other end of the'spoke is driven firmly into thesocket in the hub into which it is inserted, the hammer imparting firm,rapid, and yet elastic blows to the spoke, the force of the blows beingincreased by the action 65 of the springs 13 and 14 upon the hammer dueto the momentum of the rod 11. In the actual operation of the machine,after the spoke has been placed and held to the gage by both the spokeand the gage being grasped in the hand of the operator, the treadle ispressed so as to bring the friction clutch into light engagement, thuscausing a slow reciprocation of the plunger to tap the end of the spokelightly, and then by a further compressing of the treadle the frictionclutch is brought into more firm engagement, so that the speed of theplunger is correspondingly increased, this causing an increased travelof the plunger in both directions and more particularly in the activedirection, thus adding the inertia of the plunger to the impulse givenit by the positive drive imparted by the wrist pin and the blow of theplunger is therefore more pronounced than at first. The pressure on thefoot lever is then relieved, so that the blows are again lightened asthe shoulder of the spoke is brought into engagement with the hub andthe setting of the spoke is thereby completed. The treadle is nowreleased from pressure, a second spoke is dipped at the tenon end inglue and inserted in the next socket in order, and by means of the newlyinserted spoke the hub may be turned an appropriate distance until thespoke is positioned by the hand of the operator grasping the downturnedportion 114 of the angle member 111. The treadle is again moved by thefoot of the operator to couple the power to the hammer, and the secondspoke is driven into the hub. The operation is repeated until all thespokes have been driven into the hub, when the wheel so far as completedby the machine of the present invention may be quickly removed from thehub supporting and clamping members and another hub inserted, afterwhich the operation of placing the spokes may be repeated.

The capability of varying the speed of reciprocation of the plunger andthereby varying its stroke and the force of the blows is particularlyvaluable in connection with the driving of spokes for the final spokesto be driven in a wheel hub require more force than the precedingspokes, because of the crowding caused by the driving of the precedingspokes into the hub and the consequent narrowing of the sockets ormortises which receive the spoke tenons. By speeding up the drive shaftby means of the friction clutch, the force of the blows delivered to thespoke may be increased to drive the last spoke or the last few spokesfirmly into the hub. Practice has demonstrated that by increasing thespeed of the drive shaft to its maximum the length of power stroke ofthe plunger may be increased several inches so that a wheel havingshorter spokes than the wheel for which the machine may at any time beset, may be assembled without the necessity of changing the position ofthe carrier for the plunger along the column, even when the length ofthe spokes may vary as much as three or four inches in a machinedesigned for and set to drive spokes for, say, ord nary carriage wheels.

For wheels of different diameters the hammer is readily adjusted up ordown, and where the spokes are dished the pin 93 and rod 90 may beadjusted in one direction or the other to bring the butt ends of thespokes slightly out of line with the hammer, while still retaining thefree ends of the spokes within the path of the hammer. It is found inpractice that the spokes are as effectively driven into the hub as whenthey are strictly radial to the hub.

F or hubs of diiferent lengths, the standard 6 is readily adjustedtoward and from the frame 82 and the adjustable clamping means for theends of the hub provide for maintaining the socket portions of the hubin line with the longitudinal axis of the hammer, or with that degree ofdisplacement desired to provide for the dishing of the wheel.

What is claimed is 1. In a spoke driving machine a single upright columnhaving the front and rear Walls open for a portion of their length nearthe upper end of the column and at the front opening provided withguideways, a pulley at the top of the column, a block mounted in theguideways and movable therealong in front of the column, said blockbeing also provided with an extension projecting through the column, aplunger carried by the block, a drive shaft mount- Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ofPatents, 1

ed transversely in the block and its extension and connected to theplunger, a flexible member connected to the block and extended over thepulley at the top of the column and down into and movable within thecolumn, a counterweight carried by the flexible memher, and means foradjusting the block in hand of an operator and held in alinement withthe plunger.

3. In a spoke driving machine, a support for a hub, a reciprocatorymember, a plunger carried by the reciprocatory member and movabletherewith toward and from the hub support, equalizer springs interposedbetween the plunger and the reciprocatory member carrying it, means forimparting positive reciprocatory movements to the reciprocatory member,a friction clutch controlling the means for imparting positive movementsto the reciprocatory member, and means for controlling the degree ofengagement of the friction clutch at will.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ailixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEVIS. GARMAN. lVitnesses J. P. STEDMAN, J. A. SHOTWELL.

Washington, D. G.

